I don't know how to put in words how nice our stay at Bannata was. We expected something pretty decent, from the reviews and photos online. But when we arrived, it was like we had landed in paradise. The grounds are incredibly beautiful -- lush greenery owing to this year's heavy Spring rains, along with lots of succulents and the centuries-old stone of the structures, patios, and farm. It felt like we had stepped into a magazine photoshoot. After we fell in love with the site, we fell in love with the service and food. The team was always there to make us comfortable, provide spritzes poolside, accommodate our American requests for iced espresso, etc. They also went out of their way on a few things (helping us through a rental car debacle, making some incredibly sweet gestures for our kids) that made our family feel very well-cared for. The dinners were elevated local fare, made with heart. After a week of pasta and meat in other parts of Italy, we loved that the menu was vegetable-driven and ingredients were sourced right from the farm. The food felt surprising yet comforting, and never showy. And, as foodies, we had lots of things we hadn't had before in either Italy or the US. The wine list was pretty deep for a place this size -- and all Sicilian. Being a lover of lean, mineral whites, I highly recommend the 100% Catarrato from d'Altura. All the wines were modestly priced. As we settled in, we enjoyed some of the subtler pleasures of the place -- our 5yo loved watching the cats and chickens trot around, the adults enjoyed in-room massages, the kids explored the hillside behind the property, some of our group did a short day trip to the roman villa at Piazza Armerina. A downside that's not really a downside: The wifi was weak, which actually ended up being perfect for us-- it forced us to just slow down and be present. I hear the site is getting new wifi soon, though, so maybe this will change. To sum it all up, when we left, we wished we had booked a few more days. (We had 3 nights.) There were so many little magical things I couldn't cover in this review. Come here for a stretch if you want to pause, unplug, and enjoy a simpler pace of life.